Trusting God in the Silence

Trust is a hard thing.

Trusting in people can be very difficult as people often fail us. People have shortcomings and don't always live up to our expectations. I remember when my husband and I started dating in college. I had a really hard time trusting him as I had been let down by so many people in my life. Was it his fault? Not all all! But he felt the result of my lack of trust and had to spend time building up my trust in Him. People are human. They make mistakes. So it makes complete sense that we might have a hard time putting our trust in people.

But trusting God.....well, that shouldn't be difficult at all....right?

I mean, God is always there for us. God never leaves us. So that should mean that we have absolute faith in Him and trust Him with anything. ...right...???

Why is it so hard to trust God? Why is it so hard to believe that our Creator God has everything under control?

I think the answer lies in exactly what I mentioned before. We are human! And because we are human, we want to be the ones in control.

I mean, think about a little kid playing with other kids their age. Don't they always try to take the toy for themselves?

MINE!!!!

"Mine" is such a common word for kids as they want to have everything they see and have control of the world around them. They are selfish because they haven't learned how to share and how to think about others.

Isn't that like us? We want to take control over our lives. We want to be in the driver's seat instead of handing the controls over to God...because handing the controls over to Him means that we are letting Him determine what happens!

Trusting God is just like that! It is all about handing the controls over to Him and letting Him navigate you through life. It means giving control to Him when things are going good. But it also means giving Him control when things aren't going good.

How often do we try to rip the steering wheel out of His hand when things don't go like we thought they would? We instantly take over as we think we know the best plan. But do we really?

Think of yourself as a small ant crawling in the tall grass of your yard. The ant doesn't see where the best route is...the ant only sees in front of himself. He won't know if there's a big log a few feet away. He won't be able to forsee the pit of sand coming up around the corner. And he definitely doesn't know where the attack dog is sitting in the yard.

Now picture God standing at the edge of the lawn looking over the yard...much like you would do when you stand in your yard. God sees the best route. God sees that log a few feet away. He knows where the sand pit is and He certainly knows where the attack dog is. If that ant...(aka...YOU!) listens to God's voice, He will help you navigate through all the rough areas of life. He sees the big picture. He knows the best route.

But what about the times God is silent?

You know what I'm talking about. Those times when you pray and you don't hear His voice. Those times when you aren't 100% sure of His plan. Those times when, as the Footprints in the Sand poem states, there was only one set of footprints. Those times when we feel alone.

Where is God then? How can we trust Him when He is silent? How can we trust Him when we don't see any results? How can we keep having faith when it seems like we are spinning our wheels and nothing is happening?

The bottom line is God is there in ALL those times.

He has never left.

He may be silent for a season. He may not speak to your heart in the time frame you wish. But that doesn't mean He is gone. That just means He is working behind the scenes!

Our God stands at the edge of the yard and continues to navigate us through life, even when it seems like He is silent.

In those times where you are waiting on God, have faith. He is still there.

In those times where it seems like you don't have an answer, keep trusting. He is working even when it seems like nothing is happening.

In those times where you feel like you are losing hope, keep pressing on. God hasn't left for a moment.

You can put your complete faith and trust in our God because He WILL come through!

It may not be in your timing. It may not be in the way you expected. But trust me, I know from experience, He is always there.

Whatever you are dealing with in your life right now, know that you can place that burden in the arms of your Jesus. He will never....ever....let you down!